Morgan Sports Law acts for Sri Lankan cricketer, Kusal Perera, in the dismissal of doping charges against him.

Summary

The International Cricket Council ("ICC") has withdrawn disciplinary proceedings against Mr Perera following a successful challenge of a reported Adverse Analytical Finding.

Mr Perera provided two out-of-competition samples on 12 October 2015, which were reported by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Qatar to contain 19-norandrostenedione, which is categorised by WADA as an anabolic steroid. Mr Perera was subsequently charged with an anti-doping rule violation and was provisionally suspended on 7 December 2015.

Following scrutiny of the laboratory’s findings, Morgan Sports Law – acting on behalf of Mr Perera – noted certain inconsistencies regarding the analytical findings which suggested that Mr Perera had not, in fact, ingested 19-norandrostenedione. Morgan Sports Law communicated its concerns to the ICC, following which the ICC commissioned its own review of the laboratory’s findings. The ICC has now concluded that the steroid reportedly found in the samples:

1. could have been produced naturally by the body; and/or
2. could have been generated by microbial activity within the sample container after collection. 

Accordingly, all charges have been dropped, and Mr Perera is now entitled to return to training and competition immediately.   

ICC Chief Executive, David Richards, paid tribute to Mr Perera and his legal team in an ICC press release:

“Had it not been for the diligence of Mr Perera’s legal team and the ICC’s own desire to uncover the explanation for the reported findings, the consequences could well have been different, and that should be of concern to all involved in the fight against doping.  We regret what Mr Perera has had to endure, and would like to commend him for the manner in which he has conducted himself throughout this period.”

Mr Richards further exonerated Mr Perera:

“We wish to make it clear that there is no evidence that Mr Perera has ever used performance-enhancing substances and we wish him well in his future cricketing endeavours.”

Mike Morgan and Richard Martin of Morgan Sports Law acted for Mr Perera.